🤖 fix: avoid retry banner during normal TTFT

Author: ibetitsmike

src/browser/components/AIView.tsx

@@ -460,7 +460,8 @@ const AIViewInner: React.FC<AIViewProps> = ({
   // Track if last message was interrupted or errored (for RetryBarrier)
   // Uses same logic as useResumeManager for DRY
   const showRetryBarrier = workspaceState
-    ? hasInterruptedStream(workspaceState.messages, workspaceState.pendingStreamStartTime) ||
+    ? (!workspaceState.canInterrupt &&
+        hasInterruptedStream(workspaceState.messages, workspaceState.pendingStreamStartTime)) ||
       shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry(workspaceState.messages, retryAttempt)
     : false;
 

src/browser/utils/messages/retryEligibility.test.ts

@@ -328,23 +328,12 @@ describe("shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry", () => {
         errorType: "network",
         historySequence: 1,
       },
-      {
-        type: "assistant",
-        id: "assistant-2",
-        historyId: "assistant-2",
-        content: "",
-        historySequence: 2,
-        isStreaming: true,
-        isPartial: false,
-        isCompacted: false,
-        isIdleCompacted: false,
-      },
     ];
 
     expect(shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry(messages, 0)).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it("returns true when attempt > 0 and stream has started but no content yet", () => {
+  it("returns true when attempt > 0 and we're still displaying the interrupted message", () => {
     const messages: DisplayedMessage[] = [
       {
         type: "stream-error",
@@ -354,14 +343,21 @@ describe("shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry", () => {
         errorType: "network",
         historySequence: 1,
       },
+    ];
+
+    expect(shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry(messages, 1)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns true for partial assistant messages", () => {
+    const messages: DisplayedMessage[] = [
       {
         type: "assistant",
-        id: "assistant-2",
-        historyId: "assistant-2",
-        content: "",
-        historySequence: 2,
-        isStreaming: true,
-        isPartial: false,
+        id: "assistant-1",
+        historyId: "assistant-1",
+        content: "Incomplete response",
+        historySequence: 1,
+        isStreaming: false,
+        isPartial: true,
         isCompacted: false,
         isIdleCompacted: false,
       },
@@ -396,7 +392,7 @@ describe("shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry", () => {
     expect(shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry(messages, 1)).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it("returns false when the stream was started by a fresh user message", () => {
+  it("returns false for fresh user messages", () => {
     const messages: DisplayedMessage[] = [
       {
         type: "user",
@@ -405,17 +401,6 @@ describe("shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry", () => {
         content: "Hello",
         historySequence: 1,
       },
-      {
-        type: "assistant",
-        id: "assistant-2",
-        historyId: "assistant-2",
-        content: "",
-        historySequence: 2,
-        isStreaming: true,
-        isPartial: false,
-        isCompacted: false,
-        isIdleCompacted: false,
-      },
     ];
 
     expect(shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry(messages, 1)).toBe(false);

src/browser/utils/messages/retryEligibility.ts

@@ -132,31 +132,52 @@ export function hasInterruptedStream(
  * In that window, AIView previously hid RetryBarrier because canInterrupt flipped to true,
  * causing the banner to flicker on every retry attempt.
  *
- * This helper keeps RetryBarrier visible while the new stream is active but has not produced
- * any visible assistant content yet.
+ * Note: A new stream-start doesn't always immediately produce a new assistant DisplayedMessage
+ * (we don't render empty assistant messages). During TTFT gaps, the last displayed message can
+ * still be the prior interruption.
  */
 export function shouldKeepRetryBarrierVisibleDuringRetry(
   messages: DisplayedMessage[],
   retryAttempt: number
 ): boolean {
   if (retryAttempt <= 0) return false;
-  if (messages.length < 2) return false;
+  if (messages.length === 0) return false;
 
   const lastMessage = messages[messages.length - 1];
-  if (lastMessage.type !== "assistant") return false;
-  if (!lastMessage.isStreaming) return false;
-  if (lastMessage.content.trim().length > 0) return false;
 
-  const previousMessage = messages[messages.length - 2];
+  // If we're still showing the interruption message while a new retry stream is active,
+  // keep the banner visible so it doesn't flicker away on stream-start.
+  if (lastMessage.type === "stream-error") {
+    return true;
+  }
 
-  // Only keep the banner sticky when this stream is a retry/resume attempt.
-  // If the previous message is a fresh user message, we want normal streaming UX.
-  return (
-    previousMessage.type === "stream-error" ||
-    (previousMessage.type === "assistant" && previousMessage.isPartial === true) ||
-    (previousMessage.type === "tool" && previousMessage.isPartial === true) ||
-    (previousMessage.type === "reasoning" && previousMessage.isPartial === true)
-  );
+  if (
+    (lastMessage.type === "assistant" ||
+      lastMessage.type === "tool" ||
+      lastMessage.type === "reasoning") &&
+    lastMessage.isPartial === true
+  ) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  // If we do have a streaming assistant block but it hasn't produced any visible content yet,
+  // keep the banner sticky until the first non-empty delta arrives.
+  if (
+    lastMessage.type === "assistant" &&
+    lastMessage.isStreaming &&
+    lastMessage.content.trim().length === 0 &&
+    messages.length >= 2
+  ) {
+    const previousMessage = messages[messages.length - 2];
+    return (
+      previousMessage.type === "stream-error" ||
+      (previousMessage.type === "assistant" && previousMessage.isPartial === true) ||
+      (previousMessage.type === "tool" && previousMessage.isPartial === true) ||
+      (previousMessage.type === "reasoning" && previousMessage.isPartial === true)
+    );
+  }
+
+  return false;
 }
 
 /**